Electric Vehicles: General topics

[Cmaier]

Posted about it in the Tesla thread, though it (and really all my recent car posts) should be here.

At any rate, yes, fantastic, did this:

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Though we also did this

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So we'll see.

I seriously considered Rivian, but no carplay. Looks like Scout uses Rivian’s software stack, so probably no carplay either.

 

[Eric]

I seriously considered Rivian, but no carplay.

Good to know, I won't even consider looking at this one then.

 

[Cmaier]

Good to know, I won't even consider looking at this one then.

probably none in the Scout, either - they did a deal with Rivian and use Rivian’s software stack, it looks like.

Frustrating - no matter how good these infotainment screens are, all my information, apps, etc. are on my phone. No way to replicate that ecosystem on any proprietary car system.

 

[DT]

Today, CarPlay is also a requirement for us (and in both of our current vehicles), the two SUVs above are slated for '26-27, so we'll see when they're actually available to buy, where they're at, where we're at, etc.

Weather is spectacular around here, so the top came off the new Jeep today, pretty fantastic

 

[Eric]

probably none in the Scout, either - they did a deal with Rivian and use Rivian’s software stack, it looks like.

Frustrating - no matter how good these infotainment screens are, all my information, apps, etc. are on my phone. No way to replicate that ecosystem on any proprietary car system.

Exactly, with all the bells and whistles of the Tesla infotainment system, my iPhone is parked right in front of it and where I do 99% of my navigation. At first I was pretty happy with the Tesla but after a while really missed my BMW, outside of not being an EV it was just a better car almost every way.

 

[DT]

The Scout is a pretty hardcore design for offroad/adventure (which could be good/bad depending on your uses cases, experience expectations). Love the design, full size spare, open roof option on the SUV, holy smokes, an optional BENCH SEAT. We actually owned a 70's IH Scout, I have a ton of fond family memories connected to the brand, so the Scout has a bit of an extra appeal to me

A lot of our vehicle decisions are "in the moment", so another SUV might not even be a thing for us in 24-36 months, though outside of something super engaging like the new Porsche EV Boxster, we both have gotten to love the utility, driving position, etc.

 

[Cmaier]

Exactly, with all the bells and whistles of the Tesla infotainment system, my iPhone is parked right in front of it and where I do 99% of my navigation. At first I was pretty happy with the Tesla but after a while really missed my BMW, outside of not being an EV it was just a better car almost every way.

yeah, that’s why i keep coming back to a BMW for my next car. I prefer the looks of the scout or rivian, but I need carplay and a reliable service network.

 

[Eric]

yeah, that’s why i keep coming back to a BMW for my next car. I prefer the looks of the scout or rivian, but I need carplay and a reliable service network.

Plus BMW has been in the car making business for over 100 years and it shows in how well their cars are designed.

 

[Cmaier]

The Scout is a pretty hardcore design for offroad/adventure (which could be good/bad depending on your uses cases, experience expectations). Love the design, full size spare, open roof option on the SUV, holy smokes, an optional BENCH SEAT. We actually owned a 70's IH Scout, I have a ton of fond family memories connected to the brand, so the Scout has a bit of an extra appeal to me

A lot of our vehicle decisions are "in the moment", so another SUV might not even be a thing for us in 24-36 months, though outside of something super engaging like the new Porsche EV Boxster, we both have gotten to love the utility, driving position, etc.

I owned a 2003 Boxster S. Loved that car. But man, did that thing cost me a lot in repairs. Hell, the entire engine block cracked with a week left in the extended warranty (thank god). The electrical system had a constant current leak somewhere that they could never find, so I ended up having to keep the 12 volt on a trickle charger or drive it every day. And one day it just started pouring smoke out of the rear right side. Got it repaired (it was actually a cheap repair) but that was the catalyst that led to me buying the Tesla Model S in 2013.

That said, part of the reason I loved the car was the stick shift. I don’t think I’d consider an electric boxster, despite the fact that I’m sure they are much more reliable now. Honestly, I rarely drove with the top down, and at my age I probably am better off with seats that are easier to get in and out of.

I am giving some thought to the Macan EV, though. A little small-ish, though. Not that I really need a huge car, but it’s nice to have cargo room on occasion.

 

[DT]

Chris Benjamin, who's the head of design at Scout, had this to say about a year ago:

Though Benjamin promises the Scout interiors will feature all the latest tech that drivers will want, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay ("I certainly don't believe in taking away conveniences that people are happy with"), he also assured me that the digital will not overwhelm the physical.

I'm thinking that even with the Rivian stack as a foundation, they may fork their flavor of it into their own implementation.

 

[Cmaier]

Chris Benjamin, who's the head of design at Scout, had this to say about a year ago:

promising, but…

Rivian software seemingly teased in Volkswagen Group's Scout Motors launch

Volkswagen’s Scout Motors took the wraps off its two new vehicles recently, to much acclaim from electric vehicle owners. But while the Scout Traveler and Scout Terra boasted a classic exterior that looks very tough and aesthetically pleasing, the software of the two vehicles immediately caught...

www.rivianist.com

 

[DT]

Sure, again, we'll see in 2-3 years when the vehicle is available.

 

[Cmaier]

Sure, again, we'll see in 2-3 years when the vehicle is available.

i’m kind of annoyed by the recent trend of “reserve today!” for a car that is a couple years away, by the way.

 

[DT]

I don't recall if we had put the EX30 on reserve as of my previous last post, but we did have one on reserve for a year, we weren't very committed as I've really gotten away from liking the minimalist interiors, lack of driver's display, it would've been a decent vehicle as a second car, kind of more-of-the-same (but not nearly as good) as the iX (i.e., a BEV 2-row SUV-esque vehicle). Saw one at the Electric Expo, nice design, and in the loaded Dual Motor, even very high performance.

At any rate, wasn't ultimately interested, but even if we were, Volvo basically bailed on any kind of 2024 deliveries, and now are saying "Late 2025", basically they're feeling the tariff burns, so importing wasn't financially viable (as bumping it up $12K-15K in that market segment would make it DOA). So I understand the plan is to build them here in the US, current plant / new plant(s), eventually they'll be available.

But if/when it shows up, it's probably worth a look for a lot of folks, love the design, decent range, great safety/tech (at from specs/previews), neat color options, fun interior colors (that are different materials, textures). It's very small, it's more like a VW GTi

 

[Eric]

Excellent use of this technology by Volkswagon.

 

[fischersd]

Excellent use of this technology by Volkswagon.

Apple should get them doing integration with the Apple Watch - whether the car maker supports Car Play or not - get them to the side of the road and call paramedics as quickly as possible. The heart rate sensor on the watch could help that to happen much quicker and save more lives.

 

[Nycturne]

The ID.4 has a good chunk of this tech today. I am not sure if it does lane changes automatically yet, as the ID.4 I had couldn’t do lane changes yet.

 

[Eric]

The ID.4 has a good chunk of this tech today. I am not sure if it does lane changes automatically yet, as the ID.4 I had couldn’t do lane changes yet.

Do you know if their kane keeping assist keeps it centered? My last BMW treated the lane like bumper bowling.

 

[Nycturne]

Do you know if their kane keeping assist keeps it centered? My last BMW treated the lane like bumper bowling.

The 2022 ID.4 I had did a pretty good job with lane keeping. It was nice and solid, and didn’t get tripped up by the shine from the material they seal asphalt cracks with. The only place I had issues with it was being in the right lane with exit ramps. It had a tendency to try to ‘sit in the middle’ of what it thought was a wide lane and had to be corrected. But so long as I was aware of that behavior, it was actually very relaxing on longer highway trips. Part of this was the capacitive sensors used to monitor hands on the wheel, so it could sit in the middle of the lane confidently while also knowing if you were holding the wheel.

The Hyundai/Kia/Genesis platform isn’t as nice in this area. It can sometimes get tripped up by the asphalt crack repairs, and is less rock solid. It only uses torque sensors to detect hands on the wheel, so it tends to pull slightly to a side so you have to correct, which provides the torque input for the sensor. Still sounds better than the BMW.

Out of Spec Reviews has some good coverage of the behaviors here. Link starts at the highway portion which includes showing off the lane keeping, and the emergency handling if you don’t take the wheel:

 

[Eric]

The 2022 ID.4 I had did a pretty good job with lane keeping. It was nice and solid, and didn’t get tripped up by the shine from the material they seal asphalt cracks with. The only place I had issues with it was being in the right lane with exit ramps. It had a tendency to try to ‘sit in the middle’ of what it thought was a wide lane and had to be corrected. But so long as I was aware of that behavior, it was actually very relaxing on longer highway trips. Part of this was the capacitive sensors used to monitor hands on the wheel, so it could sit in the middle of the lane confidently while also knowing if you were holding the wheel.

One thing about the Tesla is you can use a cheat device (counterweight) on the steering wheel and it works great, you don't have to touch the wheel for an hour if you're just cruising on the freeway. However, what I've learned over the years is that either way I tend to have a hand on the wheel anyway so it's been pretty much rendered useless.

On the BMW you cannot cheat capacitive sensors the same way, you must be touching the wheel when it warns you but it's also more forgiving than the Tesla (at least during that time) and when you hit heavier traffic it gave you a much longer grace period to keep your hands off the wheel.

It feels like more thought was put into the way BMW handles things, of course they have been a car company for more than a century and understands how to refine these things, they didn't just slap an buggy touchscreen OS on top of a battery with wheels.